A wine writer friend asked us to comment on Dijon Pinot Noir clones (group of early-ripening French clones named for Burgundian city) the other day, and Kenneth and I thought that would be a good subject for a post. We have the 115, 667 and 777 clones planted on several sites. Often we lump these different clones into one term, Dijon, yet each has its own characteristics.

As early ripening clones, the Dijons all are particularly suited for questionable cool-climate areas where other selections might not ripen sufficiently – around Freestone in western Sonoma County, for example. Fruit-forward wines are easier to accomplish with the Dijon Pinot Noir clones.

It’s interesting that we often lump them together in casual conversation, because they really seem to need each other. They do not seem to function as successfully as some stand-alone selections like Martini. So we tend to blend them in winemaking.

Talking to growers in Burgundy, Kenneth was told that they often blend them from the start. Growers there will order a mixture of Dijon clones and essentially plant a field blend. It’s also true that our own selections, like Martini and Swan, actually are not really stand-alones, but rather are de facto field blends because genetic sports or mutations continually occur in the vineyard and, thus, in the budwood selection process.

So, while we tend to keep our Dijon clones separate in blocks, harvest bins and even fermentation tanks, in practice they are used to complement one another.

What are some of their characteristics? Kenneth and I agree – in general, and all things being equal – that 777 is up front in fruit, more structured and tannic and it tends toward the black fruits end of the flavor spectrum. While 115 shows perfume, has good length and tends toward red fruits, 667 is in the middle. It has a good mid-palate, but also pretty good entry and length.

Of course, fruit profiles can shift depending on site and vintage.

Our new Donum Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, from the Nugent Vineyard (which we planted and farm), is predominately 667 blended with some 115. I also grow some 115 on the seven-acre Blue Farm Vineyard around my house in northwestern Carneros, near the Sangiacomo family’s home ranch a few miles south of the Sonoma plaza. It’s warmer there and not as windy as at The Donum Estate. My home site produces a bigger, more tannic wine with 115 than does Donum.

I also think that the presence of more fog and less wind at the Russian River site brings out the lushness in 667. In 2007, Kenneth and I agree that at both Nugent and Blue Farm, the 115 clone moved more toward blueberry aromas and flavors.

All three Dijon clones are very good ones. They present no special farming problems. As always, the overriding factor is an understanding of what works in the unique combination of climate and soil on a particular site. And finally, there are those delightful vintage variations.

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